Lady Elizabeth's Men
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Lady Elizabeth's Men, or Princess Elizabeth's Men, was a company of actors in Jacobean
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, formed under the patronage of King James I's daughter Princess
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
. From 1618 on, the company was called The Queen of Bohemia's Men, after Elizabeth and her husband the
Elector Palatine The counts palatine of Lotharingia /counts palatine of the Rhine /electors of the Palatinate (german: Kurfürst von der Pfalz) ruled some part of Rhine area in the Kingdom of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire from 915 to 1803. The title was a kind ...
had their brief and disastrous flirtation with the crown of Bohemia. (In the winter of 1618–19, the two had their brief reign as the King and Queen of Bohemia, to start the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
.) The company received its royal patent on 27 April 1611; it is thought to have been composed largely of former child actors from the children's troupes – the
Children of the Chapel The Children of the Chapel are the boys with unbroken voices, choristers, who form part of the Chapel Royal, the body of singers and priests serving the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they were called upon to do so. They were overseen ...
and the
Children of Paul's The Children of Paul's was the name of a troupe of boy actors in Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it a ...
— who were now grown to manhood. They may have started out playing at the Swan Theatre. On 29 August 1611, the company signed a bond with
Philip Henslowe Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 – 6 January 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissance ...
; they would rely on Henslowe for financing and would in the future act at Henslowe's new theatre, the
Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...
. Soon after their inception, the company was performing in the provinces; but by 1612 they were back in London, and in that year played four times at Court. ''
The Honest Man's Fortune ''The Honest Man's Fortune'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Nathan Field, John Fletcher, and Philip Massinger. It was apparently the earliest of the works produced by this trio of writers, the others being ''The Queen of ...
'' was one of their early offerings; the cast list added to that play in the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1679 names the actors
Nathan Field Nathan Field (also spelled Feild occasionally; 17 October 1587 – 1620) was an English dramatist and actor. Life His father was the Puritan preacher John Field, and his brother Theophilus Field became the Bishop of Llandaff. One of his brothe ...
, Joseph Taylor,
Robert Benfield Robert Benfield (died July 1649) was a seventeenth-century actor, noted for his longtime membership in the King's Men in the years and decades after William Shakespeare's retirement and death. Nothing is known of Benfield's early life. He was mo ...
,
William Ecclestone William Ecclestone or EgglestoneDNB ( fl. 1610 – 1623) was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a member of Shakespeare's company the King's Men. Life Nothing is known with certainty about Ecclestone's early life. There was an Eccles ...
, Emanuel Read, and Thomas Basse. In 1613, Lady Elizabeth's Men combined with the Children of Whitefriars; the combined troupe performed '' A Chaste Maid in Cheapside,'' by
Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...
, at the Swan in 1613. Sometime in the next year or so, they joined in another combination with
Prince Charles's Men Prince Charles's Men (known as the Duke of York's Men from 1608 to 1612) was a playing company or troupe of actors in Jacobean and Caroline England. The Jacobean era troupe The company was formed in 1608 as the Duke of York's Men, under the titu ...
. The company acted
Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...
's ''
Bartholomew Fair The Bartholomew Fair was one of London's pre-eminent summer charter fairs. A charter for the fair was granted to Rahere by Henry I to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew; and from 1133 to 1855 it took place each year on 24 August within the preci ...
'' at the newly built Hope Theatre on 31 October 1614. In 1615 the company had a falling-out with Henslowe, and as a result drew up a list of their grievances, the "Articles of Oppression against Mr. Hinchlowe." Most of their complaints were financial in nature – that Henslowe loaned them money on extortionate terms, and the like; but they also accused Henslowe of withholding play scripts that the actors had paid for, and of having "broken and dismemb'red five companies" in three years. After Henslowe's death in 1616, the Lady Elizabeth's Men dissolved their bond with Prince Charles's Men, and left London to tour the provinces; they are absent from the extant records of the London theatres for roughly six years. During this era, they lost important cast members. Nathan Field joined the King's Men in 1616. William Ecclestone became a King's Man in 1614, as John Rice did around 1620; Joseph Taylor, who had stayed with the Prince Charles's company in 1616 and had become their leading man, replaced
Richard Burbage Richard Burbage (c. 1567 – 13 March 1619) was an English stage actor, widely considered to have been one of the most famous actors of the Globe Theatre and of his time. In addition to being a stage actor, he was also a theatre owner, ent ...
as the King's Men's lead actor when Burbage died in March 1619. The leakage from the Lady Elizabeth's troupe included plays as well as personnel: works by John Fletcher and his collaborators that had been in their repertory, including ''
Cupid's Revenge ''Cupid's Revenge'' is a Jacobean tragedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was a popular success that influenced subsequent works by other authors. Date and performance The play's date of authorship is uncertain; some scholar ...
,'' ''
The Coxcomb ''The Coxcomb'' is an early Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date and performance Scholars date the play to c. 1608 ...
,'' and ''
The Knight of Malta ''The Knight of Malta'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators. It was initially published in the first Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1647. Date and source No firm information is avai ...
,'' ended up as King's Men's plays. The company reappeared in London in 1622. The actors worked for
Christopher Beeston Christopher Beeston (c. 1579 – c. 15 October 1638) was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood. Early life Little is kno ...
; in April 1624, they performed
Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and '' The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their politi ...
's ''
The Renegado ''The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and first published in 1630. The play has attracted critical attention for its treatment of cultural conflict between Christia ...
.'' Defections continued: in 1624
Eliard Swanston Eliard Swanston (died 1651), alternatively spelled Heliard, Hilliard, Elyard, Ellyardt, Ellyaerdt, and Eyloerdt, was an English actor in the Caroline era. He became a leading man in the King's Men, the company of William Shakespeare and Richard B ...
left to join the King's Men. In 1625, the Queen of Bohemia's Men were replaced by, or combined with, the newly created
Queen Henrietta's Men Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era in London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men. Beginnings The company ...
. In 1628 a new charter was granted to a successor company; this version of the troupe toured the provinces and showed little if any activity in London. It disappeared after 1632.Murray, pp. 259–62.


Repertory

The following list includes plays that are known or believed to have been acted by the Lady Elizabeth's Men in the years cited, and suggests the general nature of their repertory: * '' Chabot, Admiral of France,''
George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...
, 1613? * '' A Chaste Maid in Cheapside,''
Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...
, 1613 * ''The Coxcomb,''
Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their joi ...
, ca. 1614 * ''Bartholomew Fair,'' Ben Jonson, 1614 * '' The Changeling,'' Middleton and
William Rowley William Rowley (c. 1585 – February 1626) was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626 in ...
, 1622 * ''
The Bondman ''The Bondman'' is a later Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1624. The play has been called "the finest of the more serious tragicomedies" of Massinger. Performance and publication ''The ...
,''
Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and '' The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their politi ...
, 1623 * ''
The Spanish Gypsy ''The Spanish Gypsy'' is an English Jacobean tragicomedy, dating from around 1623. The play was likely a collaboration between several dramatists, including Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford. Like Shakespeare's los ...
,''
Dekker Dekker is a Dutch occupational surname equivalent to English Thatcher. Notable people with the surname include: *Aesop Dekker (born 1970), American rock drummer *Albert Dekker (1905–1968), American actor and politician * An Dekker (1931–2012 ...
,
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
, and Rowley, 1623 * ''
Cupid's Revenge ''Cupid's Revenge'' is a Jacobean tragedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was a popular success that influenced subsequent works by other authors. Date and performance The play's date of authorship is uncertain; some scholar ...
,''
Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I (1603–25). They became known as a team early in their association, so much so that their joi ...
, 1624 * ''The Captives,''
Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...
, 1624 * ''The Renegado,'' Massinger, 1624 * ''
Love Tricks ''Love Tricks, or The School of Complement'' is a Caroline stage play by James Shirley, his earliest known work. Performance ''Love Tricks'' was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 10 February 1625; it w ...
,''
James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...
, 1625


Notes


References

* Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. *Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespeare Company 1594–1642.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004. * Halliday, F. E. ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564–1964.'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964. * Keenan, Siobhan. ''Acting Companies and Their Plays in Shakespeare's London''. London: Arden, 2014. 33–51. * Murray, John Tucker. ''English Dramatic Companies 1558–1642.'' Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1910. {{authority control English early modern theatre companies 1632 disestablishments